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Working backwards

Start from the result you want, then let the harness build toward it. Writing the finished result first is the fastest way to find what is still unclear — before any code is written.

1. Write the result as if it were done​

Write three or four sentences, as if you were announcing the change:

Status now answers in JSON. To automate status checks, run
`elanous status` (with the proposed JSON output) and read the same fields
you see on screen, without parsing text. The plain output does not change.

Today, elanous status prints text only. For a structured operational snapshot now, use elanous ops status --json; it reports operational state, not the same fields as elanous status.

If a sentence is hard to write, that is the part you have not decided yet. Decide it now, not during review.

2. Turn it into a goal document​

Each sentence becomes part of a goal document: the files it may touch, the situation today, what is missing, and a decision signal — the check that proves the result is real.

target paths: src/cli/status.ts · src/cli/status.test.ts

# Status answers in JSON

## Situation
`elanous status` prints text only.

## Complication
Scripts have to parse the text, and they break when the wording changes.

## Question
(empty — the complication already says it)

## Answer
decision signal: condition = run `bun test src/cli/status.test.ts`; observation = the new --json case; expected = it passes, and fails if the flag is removed.

The decision signal is your announcement turned into a test: it passes on a correct change and fails on a wrong one.

3. Read the plan before anything runs​

elanous harness plan "status answers in JSON for scripts"

harness plan writes the plan and stops. Compare it with your paragraph from step 1 — if the plan is solving a different problem, fix the goal, not the code.

4. Launch​

elanous harness ask docs/goals/status-json.md

Add --no-auto-merge if you want to stop at the pull request and review it yourself.

5. Check the result against the paragraph​

When the change lands, read your paragraph from step 1 again and try each sentence yourself. Anything that is not true yet becomes the next goal.

See The harness for every entrance and option.